AUTOMATED: 12th July Estimated Route

Day Twelve: Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay

Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

The final stretch! We get this done and the challenge is complete. A long, long walk and then collapsing in Robin Hoods Bay. We are expecting a pint waiting for us along with Lenny and Cathy :D.

First though, Egton, a tiny rural hamlet... without even a pub to salve our thirst. What exactly is the point of this place?

Ah! It has a bridge, that is why it exists. Someone needs to maintain the bridge... don't they get thirsty?

Grosmont and our first pint of the day!! Much deserved!

The Hermitage, we can expect Toby to be fielding autographs and posing for photos in his natural habitat.

AUTOMATED: 11th July Estimated Route

Day Eleven: Kirkby to Glaisdale

Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Another day of moorland - so lots of greys and greens... You'll probably see an obscene amount of photos of us strutting across the heather.

Built in 1865, the Arncliffe Arms has always been a traditional village pub serving good beer, good food and providing comfortable Bed & Breakfast accommodation .

AUTOMATED: 10th July Estimated Route

Day Ten: Inglby Cross to Kirkby

Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Not much detail on the map today as I had to zoom it out rather a lot to get the whole of the route in. The route is entirely feral so not much detail to give.

Dromonby Bridge is a victorian farmhouse,situated between Kirkby in Cleveland and Busby,two miles south of Stokesley at the foot of the Cleveland Hills,which are within the North York Moors National Park, and close to the coast to coast walk,which has recently been refurbished to a high standard offering ensuite facilities. 

 
Our aim is to offer a standard of accommodation which will appeal to a broad section of the public,be it business people,tourists,hikers,cyclists or people who are perhaps visiting relatives for weddings etc. As we believe people from diverse backgrounds help to create an interesting and friendly atmosphere which we want to create.

AUTOMATED: 9th July Estimated Route

Day Nine: Richmond to Ingleby Cross

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Our destination! Ingleby Cross Hotel.

AUTOMATED: 8th July Estimated Route

Day Eight: Reeth to Richmond

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Richmond Falls are a series of waterfalls along the River Swale

The town of Richemont in Normandy (now in the Seine-Maritime département of the Upper Normandy region) was the origin of the placename Richmond. Richmond in North Yorkshire was the eponymous honour of the Earls of Richmond (or comtes de Richemont), a dignity normally also held by the Duke of Brittany from 1136 to 1399.

Richmond was founded in 1071 by the Breton Alan Rufus, on lands granted to him by William the Conqueror. Richmond Castle, completed in 1086, had a keep and walls encompassing the area now known as the Market Place.

Richmond was part of the lands of the earldom of Richmond, which was intermittently held by the Dukes of Brittany until the 14th century. When John V, Duke of Brittany died in 1399 Henry IV took possession. In 1453, the earldom was conferred on Edmund Tudor, and was merged with the crown when Edmund's son Henry became king, as Henry VII in 1485.

During the English Civil War, the Covenanter Army led by David Leslie, Lord Newark, took over the castle and conflict between local Catholics and Scottish Presbyterians ensued.

The prosperity of the medieval town and centre of the Swaledale wool industry greatly increased in the late 17th and 18th centuries with the burgeoning lead mining industry in nearby Arkengarthdale. It is from this period that the town's Georgian architecture originates, the most notable examples of which are to be found on Newbiggin and in Frenchgate. One of Europe's first gas works was built in the town in 1830.

"At the end of the 18th century, some soldiers found an entrance to a tunnel underneath the castle keep. They could not fit into the tunnel, so they elected to send a regimental drummer boy. The boy was asked to walk along the tunnel and beat his drum so that above ground the soldiers could follow the noise. They did this for 3 miles before the sound stopped unexpectedly. This was never explained until centuries later, when people now believe that the roof of the tunnel collapsed and caved in on top of the drummer boy, whilst drumming along. Today a stone marks the spot the noise stopped. The entrance to the tunnel is still there, but is forbidden for anyone to go in. Today schools celebrate this local legend with children marching through town annually. Legend claims that on some cold winters night, you can still hear the faint sound of the drummer boy beneath the ground, where the stone stands."

AUTOMATED: 7th July Estimated Route

Day Seven: Keld to Reeth

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

The waterfall of Swinner Gill. One of many forces that we'll be passing today.

The second notable fall of the day is Blakethwaite Force

And the best for the last, Hard Level Force which sounds like a budget Van Damme movie but sadly is just a Cumbrian beauty spot.

The quaint village of Reeth and our destination.

The Buck at Reeth was originally a Coaching Inn dating back to around 1760, situated at the bustling centre of the village where a toll was charged to passing travellers.

There are many beautiful original features with the main bar having an aged beamed ceiling adorned with an interesting array of horse brass and weird door knockers.

There is real living fire at the centre of the main bar and a genuine warm welcome from the staff.

During the summer months there is seating in the sun to the front and ask about the secret walled garden.

Most importantly! They have a dog! Marley :).

AUTOMATED: 6th July Estimated Route

Day Six: Kirkby Stephen to Keld

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Not much news until the end of the walk - but we'll be passing Currack Force, a rather famous waterfall offering Toby an ideal opportunity to show off his best Timotai impression.

Underneath Currack Force, you find the equally beautiful Stonesdale Beck.

Finally, our destination, the village of Keld.

Our inn, the Keld Lodge.

David Gray and Matt Teague are proud to own and manage one of the most iconic hotels in the Yorkshire Dales. Set high in the hills of glorious Swaledale, Keld Lodge is at the crossroads of two of the world’s most popular long distance trails; The Coast to Coast and the Pennine way. Every year we welcome thousands of guests, from all over the world.
In addition to the Coast to Coast and the Pennine Way several other popular walks pass our door, such as The Herriots Way, a circular four day, 52 mile hike, takes you through some of Yorkshire’s most stunning scenery
….
Originally built as a shooting lodge in 1860 Keld Lodge is now a comfortable, friendly, hotel and restaurant.
The ideal base from which to enjoy some magnificent walks in one of Yorkshire's finest dales and to explore some of Northern England’s rich cultural heritage and visit some of our vibrant market towns.
From our conservatory dining room, lounge and many of our bedrooms there are superb views of Upper Swaledale.. Whatever the weather the scenery is always fantastic !! .
Whether you are walking one of the long distance trails or looking for a short break with family and friends join us here at Keld Lodge.

And the excellent news that it has ALE TAPS!!!

AUTOMATED: 5th July Estimated Route

Day Five: Shap to Kirkby Stephen

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

We are officially in the hinterlands now. Nothing on Google save for our destination - the Jolly
Farmers guest house.

"The Jolly Farmers Guest House was an old coaching inn and used to belong to the local manor house.
The old Estate Manager’s House is now the dining room and the old barn in the back garden has been converted into a cottage. Twenty-five years ago the main house was in fact a pub and many local people can remember enjoying a drink there."

This gives us great hope that we may be able to source some serious ales.

AUTOMATED: 4th July Estimated Route

Day Four: Patterdale to Shap

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Not much detail on the map today as I had to zoom it out rather a lot to get the whole of the route in. The first half is big hills and mountains until we clear the Lake District and enter Shap. Day five we penetrate the Yorkshire Dales.

Originally, Haweswater was a natural lake about four kilometres long, nearly divided by a tongue of land at Measand; the two reaches of the lake were known as High Water and Low Water. The building of the dam raised the water level by 29 metres (95 feet) and created a reservoir six kilometres (four miles) long and around 600 metres (almost half a mile) wide. The dam wall measures 470 metres long and 27.5 metres high; at the time of construction it was considered to be cutting-edge technology as it was the world's first hollow buttress dam, using 44 separate buttressed units joined by flexible joints. A parapet, 1.4 metres (56 inches) wide, runs the length of the dam and from this, tunnelled supplies can be seen entering the reservoir from the adjoining valleys of Heltondale and Swindale. When the reservoir is full, it holds 84 billion litres (18.6 billion gallons) of water. The reservoir is now owned by United Utilities PLC. It supplies about 25% of the North West's water supply.

Although the present Shap Abbey was built in 1199, the monastic community was founded on another site 20 miles south near Kendal in 1190, but it moved to the present site, then called 'Hepp', in 1199. The old name meant 'a heap' but it gradually assumed the present-day name "Shap" over the next 100 years.

Shap Abbey escaped the initial phase of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, but it was closed in 1540 and subsequently sold to the Governor of Carlisle. Most of the abbey buildings have been demolished, however the tower remains are still impressive, and the outline of the building plan is clearly visible.

Masonry was robbed away at the end of the 17th century to build Shap Market Hall, and much of the ornate carved stonework was also removed and used in the building of Lowther Castle. Many of the monastic buildings were incorporated into a farmhouse and used as barns, and little has happened to these over the last four centuries as they have formed part of a working farm.

Shap Fell is known for Shap granite that is a pink rock rich in orthoclase, quartz and biotite; Shap Pink Quarry takes its name from this.

Shap Wells has a mineral spa located in the grounds of the Shap Wells hotel which was used in World War II as a prisoner of war camp.

Our hotel New Ing Lodge is a Grade 2 listed 18th century farmhouse that now hosts a friendly 10-bedroomed guesthouse and holiday let.

AUTOMATED: 3rd July Estimated Route

Day Three: Stonethwaite to Patterdale

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

This is the day that Toby is really looking forward to! Mountain climbing!

Helm Crag is a fell in the English Lake District situated in the Central Fells to the north of Grasmere. Despite its low height it sits prominently at the end of a ridge, easily seen from the village. This, combined with the distinctive summit rocks which provide the alternative name 'The Lion and the Lamb', makes it one of the most recognised hills in the District.

Alfred Wainwright wrote of Helm Crag that "The virtues of Helm Crag have not been lauded enough. It gives an exhilarating little climb, a brief essay in real mountaineering, and, in a region where all is beautiful, it makes a notable contribution to the natural charms and attractions of Grasmere."

At either end of the highest ridge are the rock outcrops that ensure Helm Crag's fame. Only one can be seen from any point in the surrounding valleys, and they have a variety of names depending upon the profile seen from the particular vantage point. The northwestern outcrop is the true summit of the fell, a tricky little scramble being needed to stand on the top. It is variously called "The old lady playing the organ" when seen from Mill Gill, "The howitzer" from the summit of Dunmail Raise and "The lion and the lamb" or "The lion couchant" from a point in between. The southern outcrop is prominent from Grasmere and this is the traditional "Lion and the lamb". 

After battling with the "Lion and the Lamb" (Tobes can battle the Lion, my facial hair is only qualified for battling lambs) we'll be in desperate need for an ale. So we'll be toddling into Grasmere for a swift pint.

The poet William Wordsworth, who lived in Grasmere for 14 years, described it as "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found." If Grasmere can act as the muse to such a celebrated poet then I am sure that I'll be able to make some immensely profound posts on my social media apps. So please keep a look out for any updates on my Grindr profile.

The village is on the river Rothay which flows into Grasmere lake, which lies about 0.5 km to the south. The village is overlooked from the north-west by the rocky hill of Helm Crag, popularly known as The Lion and the Lamb or the Old Lady at the Piano. These names are derived from the shape of rock formations on its summit, depending on which side you view it from^.

One of the famous residents of Grasmere is William Archibald Spooner who invented spoonerisms. Sadly this has nothing to do with spooning - of which my technique has been described as "enthusiastic yet terrifying".

In case you were wondering...
A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, who was famous for doing this.

Notable Persons from Grasmere:

• William Wordsworth (1770–1850), poet, lived in Dove Cottage with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), in the hamlet of Townend, on the outskirts of Grasmere, from 1799. He occasionally breakfasted with Sir Walter Scott at The Swan, a 17th-century coaching inn on the A591 road, whose sign still quotes a line from him: "Who does not know the famous Swan?" In 1808 he sold Dove Cottage to Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859) and moved to the larger Allan Bank, where he remained until 1811, moving to Rydal Mount in 1813. He is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald's, Grasmere, alongside his wife, Mary, their family, and his sister Dorothy. A friend, the writer Lady Maria Farquhar, lived at Dale Lodge.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834), poet, spent time at Dove Cottage and is said to have muttered stanzas for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner while walking across the nearby fells.
• Paul Frederick de Quincey (1828–1894), New Zealand politician, was born at Grasmere.
• William Angus Knight (1836–1916), Scottish academic, compiled an 11-volume Wordsworth's Works and Life (1881–89) and presented his library of Wordsworth materials to Dove Cottage.
• William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), Oxford University academic and instigator of spoonerisms, was buried here, near the house of his wife's family, How Foot.
• John Haden Badley (1865–1967), progressive educationalist and founder of Bedales School, spent time with his sisters the Misses Badley, at their Grasmere home Winterseeds.
• Charles Morris (1898–1990), philosopher and Leeds University vice-chancellor, died at Grasmere.
• The husband-and-wife artists William Heaton Cooper (1903–1995), landscape painter, and Ophelia Gordon Bell (1915–1975), sculptor, lived and are buried at Grasmere.
• Fred Yates (1922–2008), painter, was living at Cote How near Grasmere (1900–06) when he painted the future United States president Woodrow Wilson and John Haden Badley.
• Robert Woof (1931–2005), academic, was the first keeper of the collections of the William Wordsworth Museum at Dove Cottage.
• Bob Barratt (1938 or 1939–2004) was the founder of the Grasmere Records label for brass band and organ music.

After our pint we'll be moseying along past the Grisedale Tarn. It is the legendary resting place of the crown of the kingdom of Cumbria, after the crown was conveyed there in 945 by soldiers of the last king, Dunmail, after he was slain in battle with the combined forces of the English and Scottish kings.

Grisedale Tarn is 538 metres (1,765 ft) in altitude and has a maximum depth of around 33 metres (108 ft). It holds brown trout, perch and eels. The outflow is to Ullswater to the north-east, picking up all of the rainfall from the eastern face of Dollywagon Pike.

The Tarn is the subject of a poem by the Rev. Frederick William Faber printed in 1840.

Helvellyn is our first true mountain being over 3k ft in height, before today we've only scaled large hills, annoying as some of them are only a few feet off being a mountain. Depending on how dead we are from the previous days we may walk around the mountain instead of over it. That is a decision we'll make on the day.

Toby of course will probably just fall into his natural instincts and mine through it collecting lead, silver, mithril and adamantium ore on the way.

Helvellyn is the third-highest point both in England and in the Lake District, and access to Helvellyn is easier than to the two higher peaks of Scafell Pike and Sca Fell. The scenery includes three deep glacial coves and two sharp-topped ridges on the eastern side (Striding Edge and Swirral Edge).

The volcanic rocks of which the mountain is made were formed in the caldera of an ancient volcano, many of them in violently explosive eruptions, about 450 million years ago during the Ordovician period. During the last ice age these rocks were carved by glaciers to create the landforms seen today.

Since the end of the last ice age, small populations of arctic-alpine plants have survived in favourable spots on rock ledges high in the eastern coves. Rare to Britain species of alpine butterfly, the mountain ringlet, also live on and around Helvellyn.

Mineral veins, some with deposits of the lead ore galena, do exist within Helvellyn's rocks, but attempts to find sufficient quantities of lead to be worth mining have not been successful.

Tourism has been a more successful industry in the area. For over two hundred years visitors have been drawn by the lake and mountain scenery of the Lake District, and many have made their way to the top of Helvellyn. Among the early visitors to Helvellyn were the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, both of whom lived nearby at one period. Many routes up the mountain are possible so that it may be approached from all directions. The view from the top is one of the most extensive over the Lake District, and on a clear day the view can also stretch from Scotland to Wales.

However, traversing the mountain is not without dangers; over the last two hundred years there have been a number of fatalities. The artist Charles Gough is more famous for his death on Striding Edge in 1805 than for what he achieved in his life.

Among many human feats upon the mountain, one of the strangest was the landing and take-off of a small aeroplane on the summit in 1926.

 

Finally we'll rock up to Patterdale where we are staying at the White Lion Inn. A perfect place for a quick six pints and an amount of chips that could only be described as 'grotesque'.

Patterdale was also badly affected by Storm Desmond in December 2015. So they should be pretty well prepared for when we end up going on a drunken rampage around the village.

AUTOMATED: 2nd July Estimated Route

Day Two: YHA Ennerdale to Stonethwaite

 Our projected route, once more shown in the palest of green colours.

Our journey to Stonethwaite takes us across Honister Crag, a rather large yet beautiful hill. Honister Crag has been commercially quarried for its high-quality green slate since the 1750s. Slate mining and quarrying at Honister did cease in 1986, but restarted in February 1997.

Wandering through Buttermere Valley, we enter quite a famous bit of Cumbrian history. Buttermere has nothing to do with the creamy, salty goodness of freshly churned butter and more to do with the savage violence of Jarl Buthar - hence the name.

From his hidden stronghold at Buttermere, it is said that Jarl Buthar conducted a campaign of running resistance against the Norman invaders, from the time of William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North in 1069 right up until the early 12th century. In 1072 King William set up a garrison at Carlisle, but the isolated garrison needed constant reinforcement and supplies. It is claimed that the Cumbrians fought a guerrilla war against the Normans for almost half a century, attacking supply wagons, ambushing patrols and inflicting great losses upon them in terms of money, matériel and men.

The extent to which Jarl Buthar is a semi-mythological figure is unclear. He is apparently mentioned in 12th century Norman documents, but much of his story appears to be based on local legend and archaeology, later enhanced by Nicholas Size's popular dramatised history.


As a area of such notable myth, Butterdale has featured in a few fictional books:

• Jarl Boethar's campaign and a final battle at Rannerdale (c.f. Ferguson, "Ragnar's dale") between the Normans and the Anglo-Scandinavian Cumbrians led by the Jarl is the subject of a dramatised history by Nicholas Size, called "The Secret Valley: The Real Romance of Unconquered Lakeland" (pub. 1930)
• Rosemary Sutcliff's YA novel "Shield Ring" (pub. 1956) imagines the lives of Jarl Buthar and his band of Cumbrian rebels, and their last stand against the forces of a Norman army under the command of Ranulf le Meschin, Lord of Carlisle and later Earl of Chester, nearly 50 years after the 1066 Norman Conquest of England. It was clearly inspired by Nicholas Size's history, which it closely follows.
• Mary Robinson (1778–1837), known as the "Maid of Buttermere" and the subject of Melvyn Bragg's novel of that name, was the daughter of the landlord of the Fish Inn in Buttermere village.

A close up of the lake, Buttermere.

We'll be walking through the hamlet Seatoller, whilst an attractive hamlet it does lack the all important pub. Instead we'll be stopping off for a drink at it's tea rooms. No pub... Devestated.

The area of Borrowdale is home to another two hamlets, Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite. The party will be splitting at this point with one of us in Stonethwaite and the rest of us in Rosthwaite. Toby is angling for Stonethwaite so he can go on a black ops mission to the local pub, the rest of us are mildly concerned given his track record for getting up in the morning. We may need to give strict instructions to his landlady to ensure he is at the door for 07:15 and ready for our sherpas to pick up his luggage.

Borrowdale features in the first of Hugh Walpole's series of four novels about the Herries family, Rogue Herries, Borrowdale is the site of a fictional house called Herries, the home of Francis Herries, the protagonist of this novel. Subsequent novels in the series are also largely set in Borrowdale. The valley and its surrounding mountains are described in sympathetic detail. Walpole himself had a house at Catbells overlooking Derwent Water from 1924 until his death in 1941.

Some time before 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500), a major deposit of graphite was discovered near the Seathwaite hamlet in Borrowdale parish. The locals found that it was useful for marking sheep. The graphite was pure and solid, and it could easily be sawed into sticks; the pencil industry was born in nearby Keswick. The graphite find remains unique.

One of us will be staying at Knotts View in Stonethwaite. The farm at Stonethwaite was once owned by the monks at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire from 1195 as part of lands they owned in the Borrowdale valley. The monks of Furness complained to King Edward II that they objected to the terms of the ownership of what was now a thriving dairy business. The king did not adjudicate but merely sequestrated the farm and then sold it back to Fountains Abbey in 1304 for two pounds.

Three of us will be staying in the guest house at Gillercombe. Close to two local pubs and home to an African Grey Parrot. We'll be moderating our alcohol consumption and sticking to just a quick six.

AUTOMATED: 1st July Estimated Route

Day One: St. Bee's to the YHA Ennerdale

 

 Our projected route (shown in pale green and sadly not overly visible).

Our first stop off will be at The Handmade Scotch Egg Company, a local shop at St. Bee's that sells over forty varieties of scotch egg amongst other treats. In particular they do rather good lunch boxes, including the 'Boy's Own' lunch box which has a title just misogynistic enough to get Gemma steaming with rage.

As advertised:

Two handmade Scotch eggs, a bottle of local beer and a jar of pickle/mustard rounded off with a full bodied Fruit Cake... bliss

Old Stager scotch egg - a free-range pickled egg wrapped in our classic sausage meat and then rolled in broken crisps - unforgettable
Braveheart scotch egg - free-range pork with a delicious fresh lime and chilli chutney mixed in, for a lovely clean, satisfying taste
A bottle of real ale from one of our brilliant local breweries such as the Teme Valley Brewery and the Friday Beer company -   

Plus a jar of taste bud tingling, local chutney/mustard  AND a Rich Fruit Cake...mmmm

 

Our next destination is the St. Bee's lighthouse, this tower was built of local sandstone topped by a lantern that was originally destined for Gibraltar with the single lamp supplied by Messrs. W. Wilkins & Co., of Long Acre.

Fleswick bay is on our route and this stretch of coastline is the only designated Heritage Coast in Cumbria. An RSPB nature reserve on the headland is home to England’s only colony of Black Guillemots. Puffins, terns and other sea birds can also be studied. There are observation and information points all along the headland. Whilst it can only be accessed via an 18ft climb down a rock face, we've been assured of ample handholds.

The Fox and Hounds is our scheduled dinner spot for an obscene amount of chips, they specialise in food cooked using local ingredients (so hikers and tourists will be on the menu) and have local ales. So a quick six pints and then off towards Ennerdale Water.

The beautiful vista you see above is Ennerdale Water. Ennerdale Water is the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is a glacial lake, with a maximum depth of 150 feet (45 metres), and is ½ mile to a mile (700 to 1,500 metres) wide and 2½ miles (3.9 kilometres) long. The lake lies in the eponymous valley of Ennerdale, surrounded by some of the highest and best-known fells in Cumbria including: Great Gable (899 m), Green Gable, Brandreth, High Crag, Steeple and Pillar.

Notable Facts:

• Though the Lake District is a popular UK location for film shoots, Ennerdale has been left relatively in the shadow, with only a few brief exceptions. The closing sequences of the film 28 Days Later (2002), directed by Danny Boyle, were filmed around the Ennerdale area, and include a sweeping, panoramic view of the lake.
• In 1810 a large carnivore killed hundreds of sheep in and around Ennerdale before it was hunted down and killed. The locals dubbed it the Girt (dialect: "great") Dog of Ennerdale, though it was said to have had the traits of both a dog and a large cat.
• Former US President Bill Clinton first proposed to his wife Hillary on the banks of Ennerdale Water in 1973.

The Youth Hostel Association Ennerdale, was formally known as Black Sails Hostel, before that it was a shepherds hut. Either way, it will be where we finish our night with a selection of horror movies and a bottle of single malt scotch.